Kamisato Ayato's expression was not at all pleasant as he descended from Mount Yougou today.
He had noticed that the flowers identical to the one in the photo were, quite literally, countless along the path. Whether intentional or not, directly beneath the rock wall facing the Kamisato Estate sat a boulder about the height of "two Xiaos," and the area around it was densely packed with these small blue blossoms.
They blended in with two other types of flowers, making them inconspicuous under normal circumstances. But now, in Ayato's eyes, they were an unbearable eyesore.
Destroy them?
No... he couldn't destroy them yet. According to the Lady Guuji, these things were essential for the Instructor to traverse Inazuma.
This meant the flowers could also allow the Yashiro Commission to track the Instructor's movements. If the Instructor wanted to use this method to enter the Kamisato Estate, he would have to pass through this specific cluster.
If Ayato destroyed this patch, the Fatui's Debt Collectors might just sneak into his home and plant new ones in secret—which would be far more troublesome.
"Hirotatsu."
"Commissioner!" A samurai patrolling the estate appeared instantly at Ayato's side and bowed. This Hirotatsu was the disciple of a famous swordmaster.
Because both master and disciple had been helped by Ayato in the past, Hirotatsu had joined the Yashiro Commission as an acting official, serving as a high-level guardian for the estate. His swordsmanship was refined enough to hold his own even against Vision holders.
"Guard this rock cluster. If anyone appears nearby... try not to provoke them. Simply escort them to the estate's drawing room."
The details of the Instructor's "Authority" were far too alarming, so Ayato didn't plan to tell his rank-and-file subordinates. Even within the Shuumatsuban, he only intended to brief a few core members.
"Understood, sir!"
After giving his instructions, Ayato finally stepped back into his home with a modicum of relief. The moment he entered, he began habitually scrutinizing the estate he knew so well. To the right of the entrance sat the branch shrine of the Grand Narukami Shrine. The person in charge here was the shrine maiden, Toda.
Since the Yashiro Commission managed various rituals and festivals, frequent interaction with the Grand Narukami Shrine was inevitable.
Yae Miko didn't enjoy dealing with Ayato personally, so she had established this branch shrine within the Kamisato Estate and dispatched Toda to act as the liaison. However, Ayato knew that the Lady Guuji had originally set up this shrine purely to stabilize the then-faltering Kamisato clan. After all, with a branch of the Narukami's own shrine on the grounds, who would dare cause trouble for the family?
"Lord Commissioner, you've returned."
Koharu, who was cleaning the branch shrine, bowed hurriedly when she saw him. As a servant of the house, she was responsible for the estate's upkeep. It was fair to say she knew the location of every item in the house better than Ayato himself.
"Koharu, I have a question for you." Ayato gestured for her to come closer and pulled the photo from his sleeve. "Are there any flowers like this inside the estate?"
Koharu looked at the photo, and a look of unease crossed her face. She bowed deeply. "M-My apologies, Commissioner! There were indeed some in the garden before, but Granny Furuta and Master Thoma said they were just common weeds. I didn't think they were worth keeping, so I cleared them all out."
Koharu felt terrible, thinking the flowers were something Ayato had specially sourced. Usually, with Thoma around, the other servants felt a bit redundant. It was only because Thoma focused on serving the Commissioner and the Young Lady that the others had work to do at all. Had she just ruined a task?
"Rest easy. You did very well. If you see these flowers appearing in the estate again, remember to inform me immediately."
"Y-Yes! Understood! Thank you, Commissioner."
Relieved that she wasn't being scolded, Koharu let out a long breath. She was curious why the Commissioner was suddenly interested in weeds, but she was wise enough not to ask. Working for the Kamisato family, she had learned a vital lesson from Granny Furuta: Do your job well and don't pry into the masters' business. Knowing too much is never a good thing.
Leaving Koharu, Ayato returned to his study. As he stepped through the door, he was greeted by a refreshing, heart-soothing fragrance. He knew this scent; it was the work of his sister, Kamisato Ayaka.
As Inazuma's "Shirasagi Himegimi," Ayaka was best known to the public for her mastery of the "Three Arts": Tea, Sword, and Chess.
—The Heart of Tea—a mind of harmony and tranquility.
—The Heart of the Sword—a spirit of sharp, unstoppable martial will.
—The Heart of Chess—a wisdom for judging the tides of the world.
Mastering these three made her the quintessential noble lady—accomplished in both letters and martial arts. Aside from these, she also had a deep interest in Ikebana (flower arrangement).
Occasionally, she'd even dodge the servants and sneak into the kitchen to cook. While her culinary experiments were sometimes... "interesting," she could at least make a decent bowl of Chazuke.
However, as Ayato spotted the source of the fragrance, his smile turned rigid.
Today, his sister was practicing Ikebana. The art of flower arrangement involved skillfully cutting the branches, leaves, and blossoms of plants to place them in vases—an essential curriculum for the daughters of Inazuma's noble houses. Normally, Ayato might have even encouraged her studies.
But as he saw the unremarkable pale blue wildflowers nestled among the exotic blooms in the vase, he felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room.
'Sister, you cannot arrange those flowers!'
"Brother, you're back."
As the eldest daughter of the house, Ayaka had been raised to observe strict etiquette even in the privacy of the study. Even with only her brother present, she habitually used formal honorifics.
"These flowers... where did they come from?" Ayato asked, staring at the blue blossoms.
"Oh, these? My Ikebana teacher said that sometimes we shouldn't be so fixated on rare and exotic plants. We should also learn to appreciate the beauty of common blossoms. I saw Koharu clearing these wildflowers from the yard a few days ago, so I saved a few and have been growing them in my room for my arrangements."
"..."
Hearing that Ayaka had not only kept these flowers but was growing them in her bedroom, Ayato felt a fresh wave of suffocation.
"Ayaka... where exactly in your room are you keeping them?"
"On my bedside table. I put them as close to me as possible so I could take better care of them."
"..."
At that moment, only one thought occupied Ayato's mind.
It's all over!
[A/N: Poor Ayato, He must be thinking that his well protected cabbage has been gnawed by a wild pig😅]
_______________________________________
Hey guys, A little support will be appreciated. As you know, we don't earn on fanfiction.
Check my P@treon for advance chapters:-
Their are 10+ advance chapters available on P@treon
[email protected]/AnimeDarcx